Coda One
Confronting the Faceless 💀 CompleteMay 2-3, 1998
"Don't you turn your back on me"
All in all, staying at the Ministry wasn't quite as bad as expected.
In fact, if she were in a better mood, Yurina Nakayashi might almost say she's having fun. As it stands she's not thrilled, but she's not exactly miserable either. She would still much rather be at Hogwarts beside her Lord (and yes it grates that Yaxley was allowed to go but she was stuck at the Ministry) but someone does need to hold control over the government, and Branwen, while present, can't exactly do that without revealing her loyalties.
Not that they're exactly hidden, but Yurina still hasn't shared that particular bit of information. She needs to figure out how it was leaked in the first place, and that task is proving much harder (and more irritating) than initially anticipated.
On the bright side there is still a fight here, and one that is admittedly right up her alley in terms of style. Unlike the all-out battle likely being waged at Hogwarts, the smaller numbers and less open floor plan of the majority of the Ministry has turned this particular struggle into a game of chess.
Yurina has always been quite good at chess.
However, several hours in she's quickly realizing that there's something more at work here than just angry Ministry workers rebelling because they think they might have a chance. The group she's working against is organized.
Somebody dropped the ball, and now Yurina is going to have to weed this out (and yell at Yaxley because whoever it was who ed up is obviously under him, making it his fault regardless of who the primary idiot was).
Her suspicions are confirmed when she comes across an interesting scene in the hallway on the second floor between Rosier and his younger sister, who she recognizes vaguely as working for the Registration Commission.
She disillusions herself silently before either party has a chance to realize she's there, and then stalks closer as slowly and noiselessly as she can, easily slipping under their notice as they stare each other down in some overdramatic familial nonsense.
Really, this is why she thinks the idea of family is so overblown. They'll only hurt you in the end and leave you with nothing but the knowledge that you really should have known better.
She listens to the conversation, and it's not hard to realize that little Rosier is working for a much larger group, one that's situated primarily within the Ministry, and has been for months.
Yurina is going to kill someone over this, and Yaxley better hope he has a name to give her otherwise she's holding him directly responsible. A whole organization doing... well something with the Muggleborns, based on the limited half-information the woman is giving.
When Max accuses her of being a leader, and Claire doesn't deny it, that's when Yurina starts properly formulating her next move, deciding she's listened in long enough and has gathered all the relevant data she'll get from eavesdropping. She needs to neutralize and arrest the traitor, and figure out where Max's loyalties lie as well - at the same time, perhaps? It's certainly doable.
She watches maybe a minute more, and realizes quickly that Max is going to be an idiot about this. Well, at least this might actually prove interesting then.
"Isn't this cute?" She asks aloud, popping on a bright smile before dropping her charm and allowing the two to see her. She's situated herself between them - a clear power move showing that she has the upper hand here.
Claire pales, and Max doesn't look too happy either, and Yurina takes the moment to enjoy the power the reactions give her. Then she gets back to business - she's got better places to be after all.
She locks eyes with Claire, knowing that the other woman will try something stupid if Yurina doesn't keep her focus, and Yurina doesn't have time for games. "I only heard the ending there, but it's not so hard to see what's happening here. Are you going soft Rosier? And to think, your sister here had such high praise for you when you first applied to the Unit." She directs her words to Max but maintains steady eye contact with the sister as she does, letting him feel dismissed.
Men don't like being dismissed by pretty women, and they tend to stop thinking as clearly when they feel their masculinity (or virility, or whatever, men are stupid) is being questioned or belittled.
She senses Max bristling slightly behind her and lets her grin widen slightly.
"Are you really going to choose a traitor over justice?" She pushes idly, aiming straight for the vulnerable parts. These two have already clearly shown they're soft for family. "She gave you a glowing recommendation for the Unit, even knowing she was sending you out to fight against people she herself was coordinating?"
That hits both of them, as expected. A flash of guilt from the girl, a slight shift from Max, and they're both putty in her hands to be molded as she pleases.
"Here, since you're so conflicted let me handle this one." She offers, letting her tone drip with the proposal as if it's a kindness. As if she isn't warning him that he's screwed if he doesn't side with her. "I'll even let her fire first, just so you don't have to feel bad about all this."
And here's the real test - she's not standing completely between them. Max could easily take out his sister now and prove he's still with them, that he's not letting family ruin him. His sister isn't going to fire on Yurina, she already knows that, so she lets her focus move over to Max.
He doesn't move, and she holds down a sigh. So be it, then.
"No? What, are you scared?" Yurina mocks, letting her voice dance, letting them think she's enjoying herself. As if these tiny worms could ever hold her attention for long. It's time to end this. "That's fair. Tell you what Rosier, I won't have to tell the Dark Lord about this little stumble of yours if you knock her out and then walk away. What do you say?"
He won't do it. She knows that even as she leans back against the wall, watching the two.
Claire hasn't figured out that her brother has already made his choice, which is kind of pathetic, really. Yurina waits for him to make his move, wand gripped between her fingers, ready to flick up to deflect whatever he throws her way.
Sure enough, only moment later Max attempts to stun her. She sighs and tosses the spell aside, standing up and feigning disappointment.
"Very well." She hums. "You can die and I'll still get your sister so it's no real problem for me." And she finally gets to let loose.
She's putting maybe fifty percent in if she's honest - despite how boring they are, she still gets enjoyment watching them desperately trying to pretend they have a shot in hell of holding her back. She lets them think that for a few minutes before she decides she's played enough.
The siblings are talking and Yurina isn't really listening to their likely sentimental drivel, but a comment from Claire does catch her attention.
"Family looks out for each other." She says, somewhat harshly. "This is the least I can do."
"Adorable." Yurina yawns, even as the words carve something ugly into her chest. Family doesn't do for you, and how dare this child say otherwise?
She barely notices the rapid fire slicing hexes her wand is dishing out (some days she really loves her phoenix feather core acting on it's own), too caught in her own mind. She does register that Max has fallen, and that Claire is looking increasingly desperate. A moment later the hall fills with smoke (a Weasley Wizarding Wheezes product, one they don't yet have a counter for which is annoying. They should hire some spell creators) and when Yurina manages to clear it all about a minute later Claire is long gone.
Yurina eyes Max's unconscious form, then stalks over and shoves it with one foot. "Family look out for each other, do they?" She asks him mockingly. "Seems your sister cut and run pretty quick from where I'm standing. Great look out there."
She doesn't raise her wand though, keeping it tapping lightly against the outside of her right leg. It's stupid, but she's feeling some reluctance to just kill Max. It's irrational, and definitely something she'll need to work on later, but for now she can justify her response as 'keeping him alive for interrogation' and move on. There's still more combatants to take down, and if Claire is on this level there will be others.
Yurina strides down the halls, invisible but holding herself tall all the same, forcibly shoving the tangle of emotions she's feeling into the back of her mind to be dealt with and eliminated later. She has a Ministry to hold and a rebel cause to uproot and destroy.
Not to mention, once tonight is over the Boy will finally be dead (she helped plan the trap herself, it can't fail) and she can actually start leading their expansion out of England - aka her actual ing job.
She comes across a few other fighters but they go down easy - probably not part of her mystery group then, just a couple upstart Ministry workers who fancy themselves heroes. Idiots and ingrates - they had a role in a greater future and they waste it chasing after the comfortable confines of the past.
Well, they'll have to learn eventually. Or be dead. Yurina honestly doesn't care. She continues on her way, systematically clearing the floor with a swiftness and efficiency that ought to prevent any messages from getting out.
Claire probably sent one, she muses, but that's of little import in the long run. Once she catches the younger Rosier they'll get the names of the rest, and the group will be done for. Heck, Yurina simply knowing about the group may well be motivation enough for them to dissolve of their own volition.
The thought brings a smile to her face, and some of her dull melancholy shakes off. Her steps get lighter as well - whatever happens tonight, tomorrow will be a bright future for her.
She should enjoy herself.
She eventually reaches the central area of the Department and finds several of the Snatchers who were left behind to help hold down the fort unconscious and under guard. She mentally sighs, you really can't get good help these days. But still, while their guards are likely aware she's around - their alertness attests to that - they're also probably tired from their initial showdown. Groups like the one Claire mentioned are going to be made up of Lions for the most part - and from what she's learned in her short time here that means they don't have much in the way of patience. They'll be strung out and jumpy from anticipation and frayed nerves after the tactical battle they would have had to wage to win this area.
She moves quietly, slowly (disillusionment isn't true invisibility after all, and a sharp eye could see her shape distorting the shadows) and analyzes the situation. Three guards, but no Claire. They have reinforcements elsewhere in the building then, and Claire's gone to bring them here. Which means she'll need to work quickly to secure the area and set up an ambush.
She flicks her eyes around the room - plenty of hiding spots to stage an attack from but she needs to pick one that gives her the ability to take out each of the three without giving the others time to react. They're stationed away from each other (smart, actually) which makes settling on an ideal spot harder than Yurina wants it to be, but after a minute of contemplation she makes her choice and begins creeping towards it.
She's just settling in and selecting the best spells to use when her left forearm suddenly starts burning. She barely bites back a scream, but it's a close thing.
She hasn't hurt this much in... she can't even remember ever hurting this much.
It's only after a moment, when the initial pain has dulled to a sharp throb rather than a screaming agony that it registers where the pain had stemmed from.
Shaking, she drops her invisibility (she's hidden anyway, no one will see) and yanks up her left sleeve.
On her arm, the Dark Mark is blistering and fading, and her stomach drops.
Voldemort is dead. They had lost.
She jerks the sleeve back down, ignores the fact her hand is shaking, and tightens her grip on her wand. Alright then. New plan.
Hogwarts was probably a mess, so she's got some time, but the stupid group means that someone over there probably knows there was a battle here too and they'll send people over eventually. Yurina needs to get out before that happens.
She presses against the desk she's crouched behind, letting the chilled metal center her and taking a few slow breaths to clear her mind. She can focus on her dead Lord later (and Nagini too gods - no, can't think about that, have to focus on now, on escape) after she's out and has a plan.
Her brain slowly stops spinning and refocuses itself, and she rapidly flips through the facts of the situation to determine the best course of action to take from this point forward.
Her Lord is certainly dead, the mark wouldn't be self-destructing if he wasn't, and reinforcements are almost definitely on their way from Hogwarts, which means the Order and their several Auror members. She isn't sure how many combatants remain right now, but since she's currently on the second floor she can likely avoid most of them regardless.
Taking out these three is the obvious first step, but method matters now more than before. She grits her teeth and raises her wand, one thought clear in her mind.
No death. She can't kill anyone, it will only increase pressure on the reinforcements to hunt her down immediately so they can bring her to their version of "justice", or whatever they're calling it these days. No, she can't leave cold bodies behind. What she needs to do instead is leave dangerously injured ones instead.
The thing about people once they win is that they assume clean up will be easy. More importantly, they assume that the losing side will become sloppy and idiotic with their movements. And some certainly do, but Yurina isn't a standard Unit member, or even a standard Deatheater. And Yurina intends to use that to her advantage.
When reinforcements come they'll expect a fight, but if they don't get that their next move will be to secure the area and collect the wounded. And if there are enough people wounded badly enough, they'll be distracted trying to save them, creating more than enough time for Yurina to vanish into the night.
Plan set she rises from her hiding place and takes down the three in front of her with carefully positioned cutting curses that leave them on the floor and groaning. Yurina flips up her hood - they haven't seen her face yet and she intends to keep it that way - and darts past, not letting them get a look at anything more than a passing shadow.
Back out in the halls she keeps her ears peeled as she recasts her disillusionment charm. It won't hold if people are looking for her, but it's better than nothing.
Luckily, as she'd expected there aren't many people in the halls, and she takes time to knock out her own troops as well as injure any she doesn't recognize as friendly. Give the reinforcements plenty to do before they start their headcount and realize that she's unaccounted for.
And they will eventually realize it - both of the younger Rosiers had seen her, and she doesn't doubt that whatever group the girl was part of probably is aware of her presence as well. She may not know too much about them, but it's always better to overestimate than underestimate one's foes. Besides, considering how long they've been hidden, they obviously aren't opponents to dismiss out of hand.
She hisses out a breath as she reaches the stairs and heads down, debating if she crosses the first level as well - there are more likely to be bystanders there considering how everyone on the Minister's staff generally stays late (minus Audrey Blishwick, now that she thinks about it, and that's odd why didn't she notice-)
She shakes her head and shoves open the door to the offices. She can sift through her notes on the Ministry employees to work out who else was in the group later. Right now she needs to get out, and she'll need a few more injured to ward off anyone following.
As expected, there are still plenty of people holed up in the Minister's offices, cowering behind desks and pressed against the walls. They're not fighters by any stretch, but a few do make attempts which is cute. Ineffective, but cute.
Yurina doesn't bother taking her time, just paints the floor red and then is back out in the stairwell. She's careful not to step in any blood on her way out - it would be no good to leave a trail after all this effort.
She makes it down to the Atrium level with no further distractions and her mind is already flicking through the different options she has for her escape. The Floo Network is quickest and would get her farthest, but it's tracked so she'd had to move quickly from wherever she ended up. And it's not like she actually has a destination in mind right now other than "not here."
If she gets out the wizarding exit she can Apparate, but while that can't be tracked as easily she still isn't sure where she'd Apparate to. It's not like she has a stable home here, or anywhere really. Hasn't since she fled Japan upon her expulsion from Mahoutokoro. She's spent years wandering, never able to settle anywhere. Voldemort had given her a place to belong, where her skills and ideas were revered and encouraged rather than shunned and reviled, and with him dead she finds herself a bit adrift, unsure for the first time in a long time what her next move is going to be.
She growls softly and shakes her head, as if the physical motion will dislodge the thoughts. She needs to keep moving, not get stuck in useless reminiscence. She can regroup later, and it's not like she's entirely alone. She does have several contacts around the world, several of whom she can probably sweet talk into letting her stay with them at least temporarily. But for that she needs to get out of this building and out of the country without being caught.
She breathes out through her nose, counting the seconds until her lungs are fully drained and she's feeling centered once again. She's still standing just behind the door leading out into the Atrium, and she presses an ear against it to see if the reinforcements have arrived. She doesn't think they've had time to secure Hogwarts just yet, but right now she needs to be careful.
She can hear a voice on the other side, echoing in the likely empty room beyond the door, but she realizes quickly that it doesn't belong to anyone who could slow her progress. In fact, she knows the voice well, and reluctantly she realizes that the person it belongs to might actually be of some help in this particular situation.
She pushes the door open quietly, not wanting to announce her presence just yet. After all, she still doesn't know what side Branwen Avery is truly loyal to, or who the woman is speaking with. So Yurina progresses carefully, letting the door close silently behind her and creeping across the (as expected) vacated floor towards where Branwen is clinging to another figure.
As she approaches, Yurina realizes who the other person is - and she immediately slows down, not wanting either party to see her and quickly mentally writing off Branwen as a source of actual assistance.
Aelfwine Fawley holds Branwen close, drinking up her obvious act like it's water and he's been lost in the desert for days. She cries pitifully into his chest while he rocks her, whispering words that Yurina is still too far away to make out.
She has no trouble, however, hearing exactly what Branwen is saying, and each word sparks a deep-seated rage in Yurina that builds as she moves towards the pair, silent and unnoticed as they wrap up in each other.
"I was just so scared." She sobs miserably, crocodile tears dripping down her cheeks, convincing to anyone who doesn't know she's nothing but a wretched liar. "I didn't want to drag you into it. My father has so much control - he got my brother out after the first war, I didn't know if we could get away from him."
Yurina is close enough now to hear the soothing assurances that Aelfwine is giving now, and sher curls her lip. This is the guy Branwen's been struggling to take care of? What a loser.
Yurina continues on her merry way, biting back the urge to hex them both - it would give too much credence to Branwen's obvious ploy to try and avoid jail time. Not that she'll avoid it anyway - her work with the Dark Lord is known by the secret Ministry group (probably, it would make sense with the other information she has on them at the moment) and Yurina has no doubt they'll reveal her in a heartbeat when the dust finally settles and the mockery of trials begins.
So she walks past, ignoring the burning irritation that arises as Branwen whines about how horrible the Deatheaters are and how she was forced to keep her head down and blah blah blah. Yurina wants to vomit. Hypocrite much? Yurina was present at the meeting when Branwen had perfectly outlined how to take out the Ministry quickly and quietly, detailing who to recruit and who to silence based on records she'd been keeping for years on the off chance the Deatheaters made a second attempt at power. If the Deatheaters are so horrible then Branwen is the worst of them.
But none of it is worth making a scene over, especially given that Yurina is on borrowed time right now, and she still hasn't fully fleshed out her escape route (annoyingly). So she continues past the pair, trying to mostly tune out Branwen so she can focus on her own thoughts.
She's vaguely successful, and has even selected her exit when her attention is yanked back to the conversation happening behind her.
"And that horrid snake would eat people who put so much as a toe out of line and I..." A hitched breath for atmosphere, "I just didn't want it to happen to you-"
"That snake has a name." Yurina says. She keeps her tone at a lazy drawl but inside she's seething. Branwen can play the idiot all she wants, but insulting Nagini is a step too far.
She sees Branwen tense and start to reach for her wand but Yurina is faster. Both of the two are frozen on the ground moments later, and Yurina drops her cloaking spell as she slowly strides over to the two prone forms.
"It's Nagini." She continues conversationally, smiling sweetly at the immobile but fully aware Branwen and ignoring Aelfwine entirely. "Her name is Nagini and she's a better person than you could ever hope to be Wennie." She drags out the hated nickname with intent, wanting to make clear in that one word exactly how screwed Branwen is.
She crouches down next to Branwen and can read anger in her gaze, undercut by a faint line of fear that Yurina revels in.
"I was just going to walk away you know." She says. "I was going to let you dig your grave all on your own but then you had to go an insult my best friend. And see, I'm not okay with that. It's not nice to speak ill of the dead." She keeps her voice stable, but her heart jerks in her chest and she swears that one day she'll learn who killed Nagini and she'll tear them limb from limb. Slowly, so they feel every single muscle pulling apart.
But that's something to be planned another day. She has a different pile of human garbage to deal with right now.
"Not that you'd care about that, would you Wennie? You don't care about anyone other than yourself and the scraps of power you beg for. I'll admit, I was impressed when I first met you. Scoping out the entire Ministry and planning the best way for our forces to infiltrate it? Very clever. It's really too bad you ended up being such an utter coward in the end. Tell me, did you think so little of our Lord as to plan for his failure? I assume that's the real reason you kept me away from this man - you needed to use him to get yourself a ticket out of Azkaban."
She finally flicks her eyes over to Aelfwine, who looks confused mostly, maybe a little hurt, but primarily lost and uncertain. What an idiot.
"It wouldn't have worked though." She says with a vicious grin, looking back to Branwen. "You weren't as good as you always thought you were Wennie. You remember Lindberg, yes? Well he had some very interesting knowledge about you in particular Wennie. He managed to point to you as a Deatheater! Now how did he do that I wonder? You never took the Mark precisely so you could stay under the radar and spy on the Ministry for us."
Branwen is looking nervous now, eyes flicking over to Aelfwine, obviously trying to gauge his reaction, see if she can still salvage the situation.
Yurina scoffs at the look - Branwen really ought to be more focused on her, she's the threat here. "As it turns out, there's been a secret group working within the Ministry for months, and they had you pegged rather early on I bet. Although, I suppose you could just be terrible at your job and never noticed them. Both viable possibilities." She muses lightly, tapping her wand against Branwen's throat and reclaiming the other witch's full attention.
Branwen looks furious, though whether at her own incompetence or Yurina's suggestion of incompetence she can't say (though Yurina assumes it's likely the latter, heaven forbid Branwen actually do some self-appraisal).
Yurina yawns and finally stands back up. She's wasted enough time. "Well, this has be a wonderful chat, but I've got to head out. So nice to finally meet you by the way, Aelfwine. Branwen has complained about you a lot these past few months, I feel like I already know you."
Frankly Yurina doesn't care about Aelfwine. She could probably leave him there frozen - or injured - on the ground to be found by the Order when they arrive and it wouldn't really matter. Him living or dying is inconsequential to her.
But it's not to Branwen. And Yurina wants to leave an impression on the other woman, so she raises her wand and points it at Aelfwine, who's eyes go wide.
"So sorry we couldn't talk more. I'd say maybe next time, but," She grins sweetly. "Avada Kedavra."
She wishes she could hear Branwen, but Petrificus Totatlus is exactly what it says on the tin - total. So she enjoys the look of horror and fear that has settled over Branwen's face before raising her wand again.
"He would have been fine if he hadn't been involved with you. Isn't it a tragedy?" She muses with the same sickly sweet smile she'd given Aelfwine. "But don't worry, you'll get to rejoin him soon. I don't have time to mess around."
A few moments later she's sweeping across the Atrium floor, leaving the cooling bodies of Aelfwine Fawley and Branwen Avery laid out on the frozen, uncaring marble behind her.
She heads for the Muggle exit of the building, steps brisk as she raises her wand again and transfigures her clothes into something more appropriate. She'll need to blend in after all, for her plan to work. Muggles don't wear robes.
She has to give Zara some credit for this idea - the girl had whined about her excursion into the Muggle world with Theo for ages after he'd left, and if she hadn't been so consistent with her complaining vanishing into Muggle London might not have occurred to Yurina in this moment. But no one is going to look for a Deatheater among the Muggles, at the very least not right away. It will buy her even more time than the injured fighters she's leaving in her wake.
She reaches the exit without any further interruptions, and she checks her clothes (sweater, jeans, and ratty shoes, should blend just fine in the cold early May weather) before stowing her wand up a sleeve and pushing open the doors, flicking the hood of her sweater up against the harsh, icy winds of winter that still haven't quite abated to make room for the spring.
The sun is only just starting to peer over the tops of the buildings around her as she strides down the road away from the Ministry and towards the docks, a new day dawning (and she's sure her opponents are celebrating it with all the metaphoric bull they can) and the city still mostly asleep. She keeps to the shadows, shoulders hunching against the colder-than-expected air.
Ministry successfully escaped. Now to get out of the country and find somewhere to hunker down while the witch hunt tires itself out.
And then? Then she'll be back. She has scores to settle and countries to lead - this isn't over so long as she's still around.
Not by a long shot.
Author's Note: Hehehehehehehehehehehehe >:) This is indeed not the last we've seen of Yurina~ With that, the first Coda is complete. Sunday will be the final full chapter of CtF!
Next Time: The fighting is done, but they still have to pick up the pieces
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